Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including licensing and enforcement.

The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 set out requirements that owners of 11 specific breeds of dogs, including strains or crosses of those breeds, must comply with.

In public, restricted dogs, and any crosses thereof, must be:

• securely muzzled,
• on a sufficiently strong leash or chain not exceeding 2 metres in length, and
• handled by a competent person over 16 years of age.

I am committed to improving outcomes in relation to Dog Control in Ireland and in this context in November 2023, I increased ‘on-the-spot’ fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs.

In addition, I announced the establishment of a high level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy in relation to control of dogs issues. Membership of the stakeholder group comprises a broad range of expertise including academics, veterinary surgeons, local authorities, farming interests, charities working in the field and animal welfare experts. This stakeholder group will also consider if legislative changes to the Control of Dogs Act are required.

The work of the stakeholder group is complex in nature requiring full consideration of all aspects of both pieces of legislation under the remit of my Department including any additional measures for restricted breeds such as registration, and this will take some time. However, in view of recent events, I have asked the Chair to prioritise the issue of Restricted Dogs and this will be the first issue to be considered by the stakeholder group at its next meeting to be held later this month. I expect the group to revert to me with recommendations on the matter as soon as possible once they have considered all issues arising.

My Department is also supporting a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement and to support shared learning across the country.

I believe it is important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities and act in a responsible way - not just towards the general public but also towards their dogs. For this reason, I launched a major national awareness campaign in April to alert dog owners to their responsibilities and to raise awareness of the dangers that can be posed to people and to livestock by uncontrolled dogs.

I have also worked closely with my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to publish a plain-language leaflet informing dog owners of their legal obligations. This leaflet has been widely distributed and is now available from every dog warden, local authority and veterinary surgery in the country in addition to over 100 animal welfare charities. It is also available in multiple languages online at Gov.ie/ResponsibleDogOwnership.

My Department will continue these awareness efforts alongside the work of the Stakeholder group.